Baby it's you
by writingowl
Summary: Mac comes back to New York after a year. What will happen? Are Jo and Mac finally ready to talk about their feelings?


He stood outside the glass door watching her play with her necklace as she rolled her eyes at the person on the other side of the phone. There were at least three different colors of post-its on a desk that used to be his. Dark black circles were drawn underneath her eyes. She looked as tired as he used to feel. Suddenly, he saw Adam walk into her office through the backdoor.

"Hey boss, I got the results you wanted." He realized she was on the phone. "I can come back later."  
"Don't worry." She said covering the speaker with her hand. "They aren't saying anything important. What do you have?"  
"The glue underneath our Jane Doe's nails matches one made at a factory in the 1940's. Danny and Hawkes are on their way there, the place is a storage now."  
"Thank you, Adam."  
"You got it boss."

As Adam left the room, he saw her hang up the phone. The exact same thing he had done to her for the last year and a half. He had married the woman he believed to be the love of his life and had moved to Chicago. He had left the crime lab without previous notice and abandoned his team…abandoned her. She had reached out to him but every time he saw those two letters pop up on the caller ID, he freaked out. He hadn't seen her since his wedding, he hadn't spoken to her and he hadn't stopped thinking about her.

"You know, she can raise her head up any minute now and see you." Flack patted his shoulder. "How long have you be staring at her?"  
"Twenty minutes. She was on the phone and then Adam walked in and then I froze."  
"You froze? I didn't know Mac Taylor could freeze." He laughed. "Come on."

Flack opened the glass door and walked in. And that's when she did it. That's when she raised her head up and saw him staring at her. Not even the dark circles underneath her eyes could take her beauty away. She ran a hand through her hair and he noticed the five rings decorating her fingers. She hadn't changed a bit.

"Look who I ran into."  
"Mac Taylor." A small sad smile appeared on her face. "Long time no see."  
"Hello, Jo."  
"I just brought you the report you needed." Flack said. "I will leave you two alone. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."  
"Thank you, Flack." She motioned to the chair across her desk. "Please sit down."  
"I see you've moved into the big office. I'm glad it was you and not a random detective."

She couldn't find the words to speak. Not even in her dreams had she imagined to see him again. After he failed to show up at Sid's funeral, she lost all her hopes. One day they were drinking wine at his wedding and the next he was gone. She had no right to be mad, after all he left with his wife.

"Sid died." She cleared her throat. "He passed away eight months ago."  
"I…I didn't know."  
"You would have known had you answered my calls."  
"I'm sorry, Jo. I just…"  
"I don't care." She interrupted him. "I don't need your excuses, Mac. I don't need your apologies."  
"I know you don't."  
"Then don't try to give them to me."

She couldn't listen to him. She didn't want to listen to him. For the last year and a half she had gone through their last conversation over and over again trying to remember any clues about him leaving the lab, leaving New York, leaving her. Jo Danville was mad at herself for believing they had actually had a real honest friendship. All of those years she had thought they were able to tell each other everything but then she had realized that was just what she believed. Mac had abandoned them all without an explanation and didn't even have the decency to show up for their friend's funeral. That was what had hurt her the most.

"What brings you back to New York?"  
"I thought it was time to visit the lovely city again." He looked at her trying break down the wall she had created since the last time they had been together. "Jo look at me."

He kept her eyes on her until she looked at him. There she was. There was the woman he had missed. The woman who hadn't left his thoughts since their last time together. He could never admit it out loud but he had left New York because of her. Their last time together, their last night together, was what pushed him to leave the city. Because as perfect as that night had been, he knew it was a mistake and he had to walk away.

"I'm looking at you."  
"Hi, Jo." He smiled, that sweet smile of his. "Hi."  
"Don't try to sugarcoat things with your smile. I'm still mad at you."  
"Can you leave that aside for a minute and give me a hug?" He stood up and walked to her side of the desk as he spoke. "Come on." He put his hand out for her.

She took his hand in hers and felt the warmth she had missed for so long. He didn't wait a second before pulling her into a hug. Her head was resting on his shoulder when she felt the tears taking over. Slowly and smoothly Mac ran his hand up and down her back comforting her the only way he knew how. They had both missed each other. They had both missed the contact of each other's body. That hug was long overdue.

"I've missed you." Her sweet southern accent was music to his ears. "I've missed you so much, Mac."  
"I've missed you too, Jo." He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. "I am really sorry I didn't make it to Sid's funeral."  
"I know you are."  
"Was he in pain?"  
"The last few days, yes. But he was tough and he pretended everything was okay until his last minute."  
"I wish I had been here."

Lindsey walked into the office and a silly smile showed up on her face when she saw them hugging. They had all been devastated about Mac's departure but they knew none of them would ever be as hurt as Jo was. It was a relief to see them hugging, to see them falling back into their old ways. She was happy to see her boss and her former boss together again. No one knew what time would bring but things were already starting to feel better.

"Well, look what we've got here."  
Mac pulled away and smiled at Lindsey. "Hello, Lindsey."  
"Nice seeing you here, Mac."  
"It is nice to be here."  
"Lindsey," Jo said, "you can erase that goofy smile off your face now."  
"I'm sorry. I'm just happy to see you two together again."  
"Mac is just saying hello."  
"Of course he is." She continued to smile. "I just wanted to give you the DNA results you wanted. You can read them later."

Jo shook her head as she watched Lindsey walk out. If she was honest with herself, she was smiling just as much. It felt weird to see Mac at the office but she was happy to see his face again.

"You are busy so I better let you get back to work. But I will pick you up at eight for dinner. Okay?"  
"Okay." She smiled. "Will Christine be joining us?"  
"She didn't come with me. Let's talk at dinner tonight."  
"I will see you at eight, Mac Taylor."  
"See you at eight, Jo Danville."

* * *

 **I am trying something new for all CSI:NY lovers who still miss the show. Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Let's see where I can take this story!**


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